Postal worker Stephan Brooks opened parcels and stole items

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Postal worker Stephan Brooks opened parcels and stole items at Chelmsford depot

http://www.thisistotalessex.co.uk/story ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A POSTAL worker who stole sunglasses, a designer watch, an harmonica, cash and penis enlargement pills from peoples' packages was only caught after a CCTV sting operation.

Royal Mail bosses at the Victoria Road sorting office in Chelmsford had grown suspicious of Stephan Brooks after he was spotted slicing open a package with a penknife.

Investigators then launched a surveillance operation over two days in which they watched him delving into parcels, one of which contained £60 cash.

Handing Brooks, 47, a suspended six-month prison sentence and 200-hour unpaid work order last Tuesday, Chelmsford magistrates said his actions were a "serious breach of trust" that would damage the public's confidence in the postal service.

Royal Mail spokesman James Eadie said: "Every item of mail is very important to us.

"Royal Mail has a zero tolerance approach to any dishonesty, and this stance is shared by the overwhelming majority of postmen and women, who are honest and hard-working and who do all they can to protect the mail and deliver it safely.

"We will always seek to prosecute the tiny minority of people who abuse their position of trust."

Brooks' actions only came to light on May 17 when mail centre manager Lee Johnson saw him take a penknife out of his pocket and slice open a parcel.

Hugh Cauthery, on behalf of the prosecution, said: "He appeared to look inside the packet before he sorted it."

Two days later Royal Mail investigators set up a sting operation with two pre-prepared packages. They watched him sorting and taking packets from the CCTV room.

Mr Cauthery added: "He was seen to handle packets and he was then seen with his hands inside them."

Throughout the operation Brooks sliced open five packets and looked at the contents before putting them back.

The next day, they watched him again.

In just one hour, Brooks was seen taking his penknife to seven different packages, one of which had £60 inside it, that was later found to be missing.

Brooks was approached at 8.20pm by the surveillance team and consented to a search of himself and his home.

The three £20 notes were found on Brooks, but on arrival at his home a children's party was taking place so, as to avoid embarrassment, Brooks requested to hand back the items himself without a police presence.

The office took possession of Ray-Ban sunglasses, a designer watch, cufflinks, an harmonica and a pot of VigRX – a penis enlargement supplement.

Brooks, from Benfleet, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft and three counts of unlawfully opening Royal Mail packages at a hearing last month.

Magistrate Brian King said: "It is extremely serious. We are unsure of the impact on the victims and the most important thing is the erosion of public confidence."

After working at the centre for two years, Brooks resigned from his job on May 20.

On November 29, Brooks was sentenced to a six-month prison term suspended for 12 months, 200 hours of unpaid community work, and was ordered to pay back £400 in costs.

Chairman of the bench John Downing said: "You have pleaded guilty to five offences of premeditated thefts, which is a serious breach of trust and causes an erosion of public confidence in the postal service."

[POSTMAN]

Who's 1st.

[hubbahubba]

Me!How did he get found out?Did DPG1 report a missing shipment?

[DGP1]

Me!How did he get found out?Did DPG1 report a missing shipment?

I don't need any And if you want to come over to the naughty room I'll show you

[Straight4ward]

I wonder if the intended recipient of the penis enlargement pills came forward (can I say that?) to claim them or whether they remained anonymous.

[RedBagMan]

What a d*ck

[bogstandard]

"Royal Mail bosses at the Victoria Road sorting office in Chelmsford had grown suspicious of Stephan Brooks after he was spotted slicing open a package with a penknife."
perhaps he was nicking the pills for the bosses in the hope they grew a pair of balls.
"grown suspicious"slicing open a package with a penknife." FFS

[willow1109]

Thats the problem with these forums the people that post the story dont even look into the subject matter, get the office right that postman never worked at Victoria road, you tar us with the same brush terrier, get your facts right !

[DGP1]

Thats the problem with these forums the people that post the story dont even look into the subject matter, get the office right that postman never worked at Victoria road, you tar us with the same brush terrier, get your facts right !

Very strange first post, it was a story lifted from the press and we get our information from that.

[TeeferTiger]

Thats the problem with these forums the people that post the story dont even look into the subject matter, get the office right that postman never worked at Victoria road, you tar us with the same brush terrier, get your facts right !

If you care to get YOUR facts right, you'll see that Teebs merely copied the info directly from the news story, the link for which is in the original post. So don't tar all us "forums" with the same brush either!

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Thats the problem with these forums the people that post the story dont even look into the subject matter, get the office right that postman never worked at Victoria road, you tar us with the same brush terrier, get your facts right !

1. Apologies that the original story got the office wrong as previously stated by kind members all I do is post the story as posted by the site I paste a link to.


2. Not sure how 1 scum bag thief tars everyone at that office even if its the right or the wrong one. That "Daily Mail" approach to reading things "If 1 is at it they all are" is patently a crass position to take, and if anyone does then they are not worth knowing.


Thanks for the back up though DGP1 and Teefer Tiger much appreciated. Although I am a little disappointed by willow1109 not kicking off on the orginal site - what one said is a lot worse than posting a factually incorrect story. (unless he is Barry Spider)

by moldp

Thursday, December 08 2011, 1:49PM

“This is a common problem with Royal Mail. I had an in law who worked for a time at the sorting office in Springfield and he told me that there's a disturbing culture of many postal workers believing they have a "right" to steal postal items as and when they chose.”

[Lounge Lizard]

Thats the problem with these forums the people that post the story dont even look into the subject matter, get the office right that postman never worked at Victoria road, you tar us with the same brush terrier, get your facts right !

Are you not a tad concerned that ALL Essex residents will be tarred by the same brush ?

[TeeferTiger]

I'm taking a guess on who kent vespa is though

[DGP1]

I'm taking a guess on who kent vespa is though

Doesn't take a lot

Of course I'm still afraid that she will hunt me down and bury me under the patio

[TeeferTiger]

I'm taking a guess on who kent vespa is though

Doesn't take a lot

Of course I'm still afraid that she will hunt me down and bury me under the patio

I'd hold her coat